During your Bible Study your mind will frequently wander from one thought to another and you will find it hard to concentrate. You will often have to deal with thoughts rushing in and you will be tempted to leave your Bible study and rush off to take care of those things. However, if you get in the habit of allowing yourself to rush off to take care of other things, you will cripple your ability to study the Bible effectively.
When you find that your mind has wandered, it is important to go back and read that passage again until you understand what you are reading, even if it takes several readings. It is better to read one verse with a clear understanding than to read an entire chapter with your mind drifting to other things. Sometimes it can be helpful to read the bible aloud if you find your mind wandering. This can help you maintain your concentration. A larger print bible can also help with concentration because it is easier to read and the pages of the Bible are not as cluttered with type.
If you find yourself unable to concentrate for a period of time, don’t quit. Write down a reference of the verse that perplexes you, and keep on reading. Schedule another time for a more exhaustive study to research the difficult text. Avoid interrupting your plan, as a general rule, just to ponder an obscure thought that you are wrestling with to the detriment of understanding.
Be persistent. Don’t let the devil defeat you in your Bible study. Just go back at it the next day and the next and the next. There are going to be ups and downs in your Bible study as there are in everything else in life. The best tip for effective Bible study that I have ever heard is to just keep reading and studying. Don’t allow discouragement to set in.
Why not pray first, before you begin your study? Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and pray. Prepare to open yourself to the wonders of God’s word! Ask the lord to help you keep your mind on his word and to help you grow in His knowledge, wisdom, and discernment. Explain your problem to Him, and ask Him to help you concentrate on His word.
Sometimes we enter our time of study completely burdened, don’t we? We forget that the Lord wants us to cast our burdens on him ( 1 Peter 5:7 ). We often forget that he delights in comforting us, his sons and daughters. He wants us not to be anxious about anything ( Philippians 4:6 ). If you are anxious when you begin your personal Bible study time, do not be surprised if your thoughts jump to your area of anxiety. Take a few moments to pray, even if your plan was to pray afterwards. We can never spend enough time in prayer.
With perseverance, prayer, and planning, we can devote ourselves to persistent Bible study with thirty minutes to an hour per day.
P.S. Be careful about using a computer during your Bible study time. I use my computer to study the Bible, because it is so efficient and the information is so vast, but it is too easy to get distracted with other things on the computer.
